Recycling Efforts Can Earn Money For Schools & Community Groups

Two new recycling efforts are taking place in communities across the country, where more than 4,000 schools and other community groups are being challenged to start collecting used yogurt containers and used drink pouches as part of a program that allows schools to fundraise while teaching their students about recycling and the environment.

Fruit drink pouches are a staple in American schools’ cafeterias. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 3.6 billion drink pouches are produced each year. Because the material used to makes these pouches is nonrecyclable, virtually every one is sent to a landfill.

Similarly, more then 10 billion yogurt containers are consumed a year in America. In the case of Stonyfield Farm, its yogurt cups are made from Polypropylene Plastic #5. A study by the Center for Sustainable Systems determined that #5 was the most environmentally preferable choice of plastics available for yogurt because it allows for the cups to use a minimal amount of plastic. Most recycling centers still cannot process #5, however.

“The environmental mantra is ‘reduce-reuse-recycle,’” says Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield CEO. “We’ve reduced by using #5, and this project offers an opportunity to reuse some of our yogurt cups.”

To help combat this huge loss of resources, Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle has created two programs called The Drink Pouch Brigade and The Yogurt Brigade. These programs allow schools, houses of worship, and other community groups to collect these previously nonrecyclable or hard-to-recycle items in return for cash. Schools and other community groups can sign up for free, pay no shipping costs, and will earn up to two cents for every drink pouch it returns.

In the Yogurt Brigade program, schools will earn 2 cents for 6-ounce yogurt containers, and 5 cents for 32-ounce yogurt containers. All yogurt containers must be cleaned.

In addition to earning money, the programs teach kids about the importance and benefits of recycling, while investing in their community or the charity of their choice. The yogurt containers are turned into hand painted planting pots, and the drink pouches will be made into handbags of various sizes and styles and are tentatively scheduled to be sold at major retailers in 2008.

A third program allows participants to collect and return plastic soda bottles to the company, although that program is currently full. TerraCycle uses the discarded 1- and 2-liter and 20-ounce soda bottles to package, ship and sell the certified organic plant food products it makes.

To sign up and for plenty of additional information about TerraCycle and its environmental efforts, visit terracycle.net.